Former 2020 presidential candidate and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg made history as the first openly homosexual Cabinet member in U.S. history to be confirmed by the Senate.
At 39, Buttigieg also represents another “first” as a millennial and the youngest person nominated for the Biden Office.
Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, the nation’s first openly bisexual senator, chaired the Senate on Tuesday and announced the final vote by 86-13.
As secretary of transport, Buttigieg pledged to recognize how infrastructure has the power to overcome racial and economic disparities in America, as well as to keep in tune with Biden’s agenda for combating climate change and address systems reeling after the fall of number of passengers in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
He will take over a department with 55,000 employees and a budget of tens of billions of dollars.
Buttigieg tweeted shortly after the confirmation vote that he is “honored and humble” and “ready to work”.
In a speech from Wilmington, Delaware, Buttigieg reflected on what the moment means for all LGBTQ Americans when Biden announced his appointment last year.
“I remember watching the news – a 17-year-old in Indiana, seeing a story about a President Clinton nominee appointed to be an attacked ambassador and denied a Senate vote because he was gay – ultimately able to serve just for a recess commitment, “he said. “And I learned something about some of the limits that exist in this country when it comes to who can belong. But just as importantly, I saw how those limits can be challenged.”
Buttigieg was referring to James Hormel’s appointment as ambassador to Luxembourg of then President Bill Clinton in 1998. Senate Republicans suspended the nomination in protest for two years until Clinton made the nomination himself, without confirmation, while the Senate was in office. recess. He linked the memory to his own confirmation audience last month in an interview with ABC’s “The View” program.
“While I was in that audience, answering questions from the senators, you could see my husband, Chasten, over my shoulder, and that is something that has never happened before for a Cabinet nominee,” said Buttigieg. “My hope is that, in turn, it will make it easier for the next person to show up, so that it will never be seen as a barrier for a future generation.”
During his hearing, some Republican senators pressed Buttigieg over the cost of Biden’s infrastructure plan, which redirects money to green initiatives, before he passed the Senate Commerce Committee by 21 votes to 3 last month.
After his rapid rise during the 2020 primaries, the rising star in the Democratic Party was the only formal rival Biden chose to join his government after announcing Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate in August.
Buttigieg endorsed Biden in March the day after ending his own presidential campaign, and both he and her husband, Chasten Buttigieg, played an active role during the general election, campaigning on Biden’s behalf.
Biden praised Buttigieg after the ex-mayor’s endorsement, saying he reminded Biden of his late son, Beau.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done that before, but it reminds me of my son Beau. And I know – it may not mean much to most people, but for me, it’s the highest compliment I can give a man or woman,” said Biden on Buttigieg last March.
Although Buttigieg boosted Biden’s transportation initiatives, including an ambitious infrastructure plan, the former mayor launched his own $ 1 trillion infrastructure plan last year, which included improvements to a number of the country’s transportation infrastructure. Its detailed plans to empower local communities required improvements to roads and public transport and also highlighted road safety with a national Vision Zero goal.
LGBTQ rights organizations hailed Buttigieg’s appointment as an important step in ensuring that the next government reflects the country’s diversity.
Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, congratulated Buttigieg on his historic rise on social media on Tuesday, when it was clear that the Senate would confirm it.
“Her historic confirmation hearing, where she introduced her husband Chasten, was also a milestone for LGBTQ acceptance and representation,” she said. “Secretary Buttigieg’s vision will improve the lives of all Americans and navigate towards the changes needed to serve marginalized communities. We know that he will continue to lead our country’s effort for LGBTQ acceptance.”
The former mayor spoke out publicly in 2015 through a rehearsal at the South Bend Tribune while seeking re-election. He was elected with 80% of the vote, more than he received in the previous election. He served in the role from 2012 to 2018.
Other presidential administrations have presented high-level LGBTQ officials. Eric Fanning served as Secretary of the Army during the Obama administration, the first openly gay individual to occupy the civilian role of an armed service. In the Trump administration, Richard Grenell served as acting director of National Intelligence, the first openly gay individual to serve in a cabinet-level position as an actor, but his position has not been confirmed by the Senate.
The Biden Cabinet also includes the first female secretary of the Treasury, the first female director of national intelligence and the first black secretary of defense.
Buttigieg is Biden’s fifth ministerial-level official to be confirmed by the Senate.
Molly Nagle, Justin Gomez, Sarah Kolinovsky and Allison Pecorin of ABC News contributed to this report.